2014: the good, the bad and the angry
FOURWAYS - This year Fourways saw the rise and fall of landmarks, witnessed some high-profile crimes and became a hotspot for road rage.
There was progress in terms of development, which also caused frustration for many residents and motorists. Witkoppen Road and William Nicol Drive were under construction this year with both projects planned for completion early next year. One well-know landmark literally fell out of the sky. The famous Montecasino helium balloon popped, floated away and landed on a house in Magaliessig spawning many a tweet, photo and video in the process.
The Kyalami racetrack also underwent a change in terms of ownership. The prolific track was auctioned off to Porsche South Africa in July for R205 million.
There were a number of high-profile crimes which took place in Fourways during the year. However, due to swift and dedicated police and community policing forum work, residents could still rest assured that they were safe. Some of these crimes included the hijacking of a BMW on Concourse Crescent in Lonehill in August. The BMW was later found in Hartbeespoort with two burnt bodies inside. In November an attempted hijacking also happened in Lonehill but luckily the suspects’ getaway vehicle was recovered by Douglasdale police a few days later.
Police made the biggest hydroponics drug bust in South African history in November and one of the sites that was raided was an apartment in an upmarket complex in Pineslopes.
The Diepsloot child murder case was concluded this year. Justice was served with murderer Ntokozo Hadebe receiving nine life sentences for kidnapping, raping and murdering three toddlers in Diepsloot.
One of the biggest stories of the year was the Kya Sands fire which saw more than 1 000 shacks consumed by flames. Fourways residents, the Douglasdale community policing forum and the Douglasdale police, and a number of non-profit organisations came out in full force to offer assistance and donations to the victims.
This year Witkoppen Road was the scene of two notorious incidents. The first was a early morning shootout between police and suspects who had attempted to hijack a vehicle in Randburg. The second was a road rage incident between the passenger of a Porsche and another motorist which was caught on camera and subsequently went viral. The victim and the raging motorist have since settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
